bestow, who fought against convention; and who yet found in
convention the strongest as well as the readiest weapon of defence.

For nearly two weeks Stephen's resolution was held motionless,
neither advancing nor receding; it was veritably the slack water of
her resolution. She was afraid to go on. Not afraid in sense of
fear as it is usually understood, but with the opposition of virginal
instincts; those instincts which are natural, but whose uses as well
as whose powers are unknown to us.



CHAPTER X--THE RESOLVE



The next few days saw Stephen abnormally restless. She had fairly
well made up her mind to test her theory of equality of the sexes by
asking Leonard Everard to marry her; but her difficulty was as to the
doing it. She knew well that it would not do to depend on a chance
meeting for an opportunity. After all, the matter was too serious to
allow of the possibility of levity. There were times when she
thought she would write to him and make her proffer of affection in
this way; but on every occasion when such thought recurred it was
forthwith instantly abandoned. During the last few days, however,
she became more reconciled to even this method of procedure. The
fever of growth was unabated. At last came an evening which she had
all to herself. Miss Laetitia was going over to Norwood to look
after matters there, and would remain the night. Stephen saw in her
absence an opportunity for thought and action, and said that, having